


It's The Greatest Thing You'd Ever Imagine

by hsincerely



Category: Cut & Run - Madeleine Urban & Abigail Roux
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bookstore, Flirting, Fluff, M/M, except not really alternative because Zane does own a bookstore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-07
Updated: 2017-06-07
Packaged: 2018-11-10 02:39:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11118162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hsincerely/pseuds/hsincerely
Summary: “Ty,” Zane repeated. “Is that short for something?”“Wouldn’t you like to know?” the man said with a smirk.Zane was a little breathless. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen someone so beautiful. It had been years since someone truly caught Zane’s eye. Something about Ty made Zane want to know him better. He hadn’t wanted to get to know someone better in a very long time.





	It's The Greatest Thing You'd Ever Imagine

**Author's Note:**

> Another ficlet! I found a short headcanon I posted, and here we are. I hope you all enjoy. Come say hey on [Tumbr](http://hsincerely.tumbler.com)!

It was a slow Thursday at the bookstore. Zane had only had four customers all day, and only two of them had bothered to buy anything. It was approaching two o’clock, and Zane was about ready to close up shop: go home early and have a night in for himself.

He walked towards the back of the store, peaking down aisles as he went, looking for any customers that might still be lingering in the store. Standing in the middle of the children’s section was a man who looked like he would rather be anywhere else in the world than in the children’s section of Zane’s store. He had one book in hand, staring at the back with furrowed brows and a crinkled forehead. Zane stared at the man with a small smile on his face, wondering if he should ask him if he needed any help.

Seeming to sense Zane’s presence, the man looked up. Zane was taken aback. Even in the low light of his store Zane could see his unique hazel eyes sparkling with curiosity. The man’s eyes went wide and his cheeks heated, a light blush crawling up his cheeks. He cleared his throat and looked away, and that was when Zane decided to approach.

“Hi, is there anything I can help you with today?”

“Um,” the man stuttered out. He was staring at Zane, mouth hanging open. Zane couldn’t help but huff out a laugh, eyes softening and mouth twisting into a smile again. Finally finding his words, the man replied, “No, I don’t think so. I’m looking for something for my niece? Her birthday’s coming up, and my brother and his wife are trying to get her interested in reading.”

“Well, what does she like? Does she have any specific interests?” Zane asked, genuinely curious. This man seemed to truly care about the little girl he was trying to buy for, and Zane was determined to find her the perfect gift.

“She’s really into animals right now. Dogs, cats, snakes,” the man shuddered at the last suggestion. “I’m sure she would love anything like that. But maybe without the snakes.”

Zane felt his smile grow, but he didn’t comment. “If she’s interested in dogs, I have a pretty large selection of Clifford the Big Red Dog books at the end of this aisle. My niece loves them, so if your niece loves animals as much as you’re saying, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.” Zane smiled softly as he recalled all of the times he had read Clifford to Sadie when she was younger. At one point he had at least a few of those books memorized cover to cover.

“Oh man, that would be great. Thank you so much. I was really clueless here.” He chuckled out a laugh as he stared at Zane with what could only be described as relief.

“Don’t mention it,” Zane said, holding out his hand. “Zane.”

“Ty,” the man responded, returning Zane’s handshake. Zane couldn’t help but notice that his handshake was strong – firm. His hands were rough, as though he’d been working with them for many years.

“Ty,” Zane repeated. “Is that short for something?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” the man said with a smirk.

Zane was a little breathless. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen someone so beautiful. It had been years since someone truly caught Zane’s eye. Something about Ty made Zane want to know him better. He hadn’t wanted to get to know someone better in a very long time.

Realizing that he had been staring for a little too long, Zane hurried to add, “Maybe another time then.”

“Yeah, maybe so.” Ty had said it so quietly that it could almost have been a whisper, but his eyes were bright as he peeked up at Zane.

“Well, if you need anything else, I’ll be up front.” Zane took a small step back, trying to soak in what he could of this man before he disappeared from his life forever.

“Yeah, thanks, man. Will do,” Ty responded before heading down the aisle, likely to find his niece the perfect book about a certain big red dog.

Zane shook his head lightly as he walked back towards the front of the store. He realized that he probably wouldn’t be closing the store any time soon, but he couldn’t bring himself to care.

He settled himself at the counter, returning to his afternoon coffee and laptop. Letting his curiosity get the better of him, he pulled up Facebook. He rarely used the site, but he couldn’t help but hope that maybe Ty did. It didn’t take him long to find his profile, but he was disappointed to see that it was mostly private. His profile picture hadn’t been updated since 2014, but Zane noted that it didn’t really need to be. The man still looked just as good now as he had three years ago. He scrolled, noting a few other life events the man had made public, before he heard someone clear their throat next to him.

Zane looked up, startled, and shut his laptop in a hurry. Ty was staring down at him with a grin that most would describe as shit eating. Zane hopped up, hurrying to scan Ty’s books in hopes that he would miss how red Zane’s face has turned in the last five seconds.

“You can add me, you know,” Ty said matter-of-factly. “I’m hardly ever on Facebook, but I wouldn’t mind. It’s not every day you have gorgeous men looking at your profile.”

Zane’s face went another shade darker, and he was quick to say, “You don’t have to say that, it’s okay. I’m really sorry. I wouldn’t want anyone digging into my life like that. Can we–“

“What’s your last name, Zane?”

“Uh…Garrett. Two r’s and two t’s.”

“Done. We are officially Facebook friends, Zane Garrett. That is unless you let my request sit in limbo for the next eternity out of embarrassment, in which case I won’t bother you again.” Ty looked a little disappointed as he said that last part, and Zane felt a little relieved that Ty at least maybe wanted to see him again.

Zane opened his laptop back up and refreshed the page. Sure enough, there was a little red notification saying that he had a new friend request. He looked Ty straight in the eye as he hit accept.

“There, Ty Grady, if that is your real name.”

“Guess you’ll just have to find out tomorrow, won’t you?”

“Tomorrow?” Zane asked, confusion written plain on his face.

“Yeah, tomorrow when you take me out to that café I saw down the street.”

Zane felt his mouth fall open as Ty grinned at him bashfully, ducking his head down to stare at the floor.

“Okay,” Zane finally answered. “Tomorrow. Should I pick you up or?”

“Yeah, you can pick me up. Here, give me your phone.” Ty held his hand out, and Zane handed his phone over without a second thought. “There,” Ty said a moment later. “Now you have my number, and I texted myself so I’ll have yours too.” He handed Zane’s phone back over to him.

“I only have a motorcycle. Is that okay? If not we could walk there if you don’t live too far.” Zane was unsure how Ty would react to being picked up on the bike. Some people lived for the thrill, but others got a little nervous biking around the city, especially with someone they didn’t know very well.

“You have a _bike_?” Ty asked, a hint of wonder in his voice. “I normally wouldn’t,” he whispered hesitantly, “but I bet you look pretty sexy in riding gear.” He bit his lip and added, “I think that’s something I’d like to see.”

“Well I’d be honored to have someone as gorgeous as yourself wrapped around my waist,” Zane replied smoothly. It was Ty’s turn to blush, deciding to ignore Zane’s implication. Zane felt a small note of pride, patting himself on the back for still being able bring his A game after all these years. “So, how’s one o’clock tomorrow afternoon?”

“One?” Ty questioned. “Don’t you have to work tomorrow?”

“Benefits of owning the store,” Zane answered with a wink. “We’ve been so slow all week, I think an extra day off won’t hurt anyone.”

“Well then,” Ty said, “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow at one. I’ll text you my address later.”

“That sounds wonderful,” Zane whispered. He couldn’t believe this was happening. Years and years of not dating anyone, and this one man had managed to capture his heart in less than an hour. “So tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow,” Ty responded. He hit his fist gently on the counter. “Bye, Zane.”

“Bye, Ty.” Zane breathed. As Ty walked out of the store, Zane released a breath he didn’t realize he had been holding. His phone buzzed and he looked down, seeing a missed text from a Ty Grady. It read, _“Thanks for all of your help today. I’m really looking forward to tomorrow :)”_.

Zane chuckled and headed towards the door, still intending to lock up early while he could. He added Ty’s contact information into his phone before typing out his reply.

_No problem, really. And just for the record, I really can’t wait to have you wrapped around my waist tomorrow ;)_

Ty responded almost immediately: _At least let me make you dinner first haha_

As Zane locked the doors, he couldn’t help but grin. It felt like he hadn’t stopped smiling all afternoon. He started to walk home, and thought that he could probably get used to that feeling.


End file.
